Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 2.1 times more expensive than Beijing.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 4.6 times more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.46
CN¥37.06
|
$18.17
€15.93
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.46
CN¥37.06
|
$10.90
€9.56
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.52
CN¥3.51
|
$2.76
€2.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
CN¥2.21
|
$2.52
€2.21
|
|
pay 62.8% more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.68
CN¥11.40
|
$1.99
€1.74
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.24
CN¥55.89
|
$7.58
€6.65
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.39
CN¥50.11
|
$4.77
€4.18
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.13
CN¥14.46
|
$3.48
€3.05
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.63
CN¥11.05
|
$5.05
€4.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.12
|
$1.21
€1.06
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
CN¥4.47
|
$0.97
€0.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
CN¥5.92
|
$1.27
€1.12
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.07
|
$1.26
€1.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
CN¥2.52
|
$0.80
€0.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.40
CN¥2.71
|
$0.75
€0.66
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.10
CN¥27.84
|
$6.36
€5.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.23
CN¥211.80
|
$60.57
€53.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,859.29
CN¥148,258.44
|
$30,285.12
€26,557.05
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.90
CN¥33.25
|
$24.79
€21.73
|
|
pay 96.1% more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$18.04
CN¥122.34
|
$53.30
€46.74
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,098.54
CN¥7,450.74
|
$1,033.45
€906.24
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$643.77
CN¥4,366.29
|
$851.48
€746.66
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$46.77
CN¥317.20
|
$122.71
€107.61
|
|
pay 11.0% more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.36
CN¥5,346.96
|
$952.87
€835.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,488.98
CN¥172,876.44
|
$25,773.31
€22,600.64
|
|
pay 79.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.56
CN¥10.59
|
$4.85
€4.25
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.48
CN¥30.41
|
$3.71
€3.25
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.12
CN¥21.18
|
$8.36
€7.33
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.41
CN¥375.81
|
$41.75
€36.61
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.98
CN¥60.89
|
$14.54
€12.75
|
|
pay 22.8% more for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$72.25
CN¥490.00
|
$100.24
€87.90
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.65
CN¥262.12
|
$42.59
€37.35
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.59
CN¥600.86
|
$101.04
€88.60
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.22
CN¥761.10
|
$143.85
€126.15
|
|
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